Assessing Risk Factors of Sexual Assault Victimization on College Campuses by Race and Ethnicity

Kathryn Burnham, Alia King*, Lindsay Kahle
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation Category: Social & Behavioral Sciences (Poster Presentation)

Student’s Major: Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies

Research focusing on college campus sexual assault often focuses on how social context plays a role in assault pervasion. An average of 20% to 25% of women and 6% of men in college will experience some form of sexual assault. Few studies have focused on racial and ethnic differences in this context. This study utilizes the Campus Climate Survey, conducted by the Association of American Universities, to address that disparity. The data was collected using a web-based survey, between April and May 2015, at 27 universities across the US. The total sample included 150,380 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. A series of logistic regressions were utilized to test age, classification, and sex on victimization, with specific focus on the intersections of gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. Results show that citizenship, disability, females or LGBQ+ identities, and campus climate all contribute to higher odds of experiencing sexual assault. In contrast, racial and ethnic minority students were less likely to experience sexual assault than white students. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a West Virginia SURE program